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Topic: Best way to achieve a creamy paste, particularly in blues? (Read 4673 times)

My next make will likely be a blue of some sort. I really like a creamy smooth blue paste and would love some recommendations as well as the best methodology for achieving that creamy, smooth soft paste.

Thanks in advance

Meanwhile I will be perusing the forum reading blue threads to see what I can see.

So...I would want to use a floc multiplier of 5 or 6....I would want to make sure that I rennet at a .1 drop in pH...Correct?

The next question would be, what blue? Stilton type, Gorgonzola, or Forme d'Ambert? Even though I love blue cheese I have very little experience with the differing varieties. Based on some readings, a Gorgonzola may be more to my liking...

So...I would want to use a floc multiplier of 5 or 6....I would want to make sure that I rennet at a .1 drop in pH...Correct?

The next question would be, what blue? Stilton type, Gorgonzola, or Forme d'Ambert? Even though I love blue cheese I have very little experience with the differing varieties. Based on some readings, a Gorgonzola may be more to my liking...

You know what my vote is going to be!!!

Fourme d'Ambert

"Fourme d'Ambert is a rich and creamy cow milk blue from the Auvergne region of France. It has a thin, yellowish rind mottled with sandy molds. Its interior is bone white with distinctive bluing. Although its scent is very earthy, Fourme d'Ambert has a creamy,mild flavor with a slight nutty finish. The paste is both soft and smooth. Try this cheese with sweet Sauternes as a dessert course or as a light meal accompanying a salad and slice of crusty bread."

Terrific blue...yum!

Here's something else for you to ponder. Click on the pic to zoom in on the cheeses...up close and personal.

I have 2 candidates, it would appear....the Fourme d' Ambert and a Gorgonzola Dulce. There is very little posted in the forum regarding Gorgonzola....one thing that does interest me in this make would be the morning and evening curds, as the traditional make. I suppose I could just make both haha. The advantage to the FdA would be the extensive info and experience available on this forum....hmmmm

I read this description and it pretty much describes what I am looking for to a T:

"Gorgonzola Dolce has a thin fragile rind, the paste is white to pale yellow with greenish-blue veins, the texture is quite creamy -- moister than Stilton and more buttery than Roquefort. This is all the result of a higher moisture content and larger curd size. It's blue veining is subtle and feathery, with a softer, easier flavor. It is glistening and creamy making it a very easy cheese to love. What else would you expect from a cheese named "Dolce"."

My experience with blues leads to me think that blues are all about pH. Blue mould loves acid. In terms of making it soft - make it moist, and to make it creamy - add cream. But without the lactic acid formed during make the blue moulds just cant do their thing so the cheese will end up cheddary in flavour and texture. NVD.

It always concerned me that before sexually transmitted diseases became STD's in Australia they were known as venereal diseases with obvious implications for NVD, but I had never thought about nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. From now on I will sign off NV, at least that is just a mortal sin (if I remember my Sunday school teachings correctly!).

It must have been the way you added your signature to the end of the line, it never struck me as funny when your NVD was on a separate line. That or proximity to "cheddary in flavour and texture" We got a smile out of it, so it cannot be a bad thing.

Ah...my return key has stopped working so now all my emails etc. are now in one long paragraph! I'm 46 so I don't think of myself as old but I'm certainly not young anymore... I live near Nimbin, the Australian equivalent of Woodstock (??), so in the eyes of many in this area I am still 10 years old! Funny thing seeing hippies with wheelie-walkers and other mobility aids. My advice to everyone is to eat lots of cheese and wear sunscreen. The alternative lifestyle seems to play havoc with the skin. Maybe it was the pot too. Back now to the creamy blue thread... NV.